One hundred elementary, middle, and high school students practiced martial arts at the UGM Pancasila Sports Complex on Monday (August 28).
These students were participants in The 7th Martial Arts Open School, a program collaboratively organized by Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Yogyakarta State University, and the International Centre of Martial Arts for Youth Development and Engagement (ICM) under the auspices of UNESCO.
This program facilitates students to learn basic self-defense skills and essential life values, aiming to shape students into a younger generation that is physically and mentally healthy, strong, and possesses resilience.
“In addition to being part of cultural heritage, many good values and lessons can be learned from martial arts. We are very pleased to see children practicing well, and hopefully, they can also enjoy this experience,” said Kang Hyeok, an ICM representative who attended the training.
The 7th Martial Arts Open School lasts four months, from June to September. Similar programs have also been conducted in 23 other countries worldwide besides Indonesia.
Kang explained that this program is one of the efforts to shape a resilient younger generation capable of facing various challenges. He believes educating young people to learn values such as discipline, mutual respect, and the like is crucial.
“Initially, this program was mostly held in African countries, but now we are expanding the program’s scope to Southeast Asia. In each country, our main focus is on middle school students because they are at a crucial age for personality development, and the younger generation has immense potential,” he explained.
Most participants in this program have little to no prior martial arts experience. He hopes that students can apply the principles and valuable lessons they learned from this program in their everyday lives.
“This is a good collaboration with UGM, and we hope to continue this cooperation in the coming years,” Kang said.
UGM Vice-Rector for Education and Teaching, Professor Wening Udasmoro, revealed that participants in this program not only receive training in martial arts but also gain an understanding of anti-violence and gender.
UGM’s support for the Martial Arts Open School, according to her, is in line with UGM’s commitment to supporting the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially goal no. 4, which is to provide quality education, goal no. 5, which is achieving gender equality and empowering all women, and goal no. 16 on peace, justice, and strong institutions.
“So, in addition to receiving material related to physical strength and martial arts techniques, participants are also given an understanding that men and women have similarities in martial arts. They share the same responsibility in society, making martial arts a sport against violence,” she explained.
Author: Gloria